


A Soul with which to Dance

by AbMStetz



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe-Thane Lives, F/M, I might eventually change the rating, Tagging characters as they are introduced, WIP, i don't know how to tag things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-05-24 03:19:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6139528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbMStetz/pseuds/AbMStetz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU where the OC ensures Thane lives and helps Shepard save the galaxy with her awesomeness on the side</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: 2173

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, time to catch your attention.  
> As you listen to the sound of my voice, you will... Wait, no. That's hypnotism. Also, interwebs.
> 
> So this is something that's been circling in my head for days now. I've got an original character slightly different from the constraints we've found in the mass effect universe. She's got gifts that weren't granted thanks to an exposure eezo or biotic amplifiers, they're naturally inherited and don't involve manipulating dark matter. She is going to help Shepard save the galaxy with a side helping of Thane wooing. So we begin with a little backstory and character introduction, yay!
> 
> I've never posted any of my stories before, so I'd love to hear some constructive criticism.  
> *This is an AU with a character of my own making interacting with the characters and universe I borrowed that are of Bioware's making.

Yuralria’s eyes snapped open when she heard the thud of boots approaching. Standing from her position on the ground, she glanced towards the wall to her left then focused on the only door in the small room with her chin slightly raised. The door swung inwards quickly and two men in guard’s uniforms stood in the doorway. For a few heartbeats no one spoke. While they stared at each other Yularia slowly raised an eyebrow. “Come with us,” the shorter of the two grunted.

“Do I have to?” Yuralria asked while casting her gaze up and down his body quickly, grimacing slightly.

  
The taller guard snickered and swiped a hand over his slicked back hair. “Yeah,” the shorter one said, entering the room and roughly taking hold of Yuralria’s arm.

Not bothering to suppress a shudder, Yuralria went without further questioning. She was hurried out of her room and down a series of hallways, the smell of incense growing more strongly as they walked. In short notice she was confronted with a door much larger than her own had been. Removing the hand he had placed on her shoulder, the taller guard knocked sharply. “Yeah, get in here,” came the muffled reply.

Squinting slightly—it seemed she had been taken to the origin of all pungent incense—Yuralria ignored the sound of the door being locked behind her. Easily five times the size of the room she had recently left, the décor was nearly dripping opulence. (Scratch that, the actual candles oozing wax onto the finely carved mahogany near the bed showed that the opulence in this room was quite literally dripping.)

The haze in the room swirled lazily as the man reclining on the raised bed addressed Yuralria. “Hello, Paele,” he said as the guards shoved her forward.

Straightening after tripping over the rug, Yuralria gave a little wave. “Hey,” she replied. “So whatcha want?” she asked while cocking a hip and tilting her head to the side. She would absolutely be twirling a lock of hair, too, but alas, her pixie cut made such things difficult.

The man grunted as he levered himself into a less prone position. He started scooting towards the edge of the bed as he said, “Like you don’t know. Heard you been askin’ around ‘bout that friend of yours. Heard you heard some things you shouldn’t’a. Won’t be a hardship for me to show you what happened to your friend.” As he finally reached his feet, the guards once more took firm hold of Yuralria and began dragging her towards the man.  
Yuralria struggled against their grip, “Wait, what? Let go!” She stomped on the foot of the taller guard as the shorter one took a length of rope from the man.

“Shut it,” the man remarked casually as he backhanded Yuralria hard across the face. Slumping in the grip of the shorter guard, the taller one quickly recovered and took over the job of tying Yuralria’s wrists behind her back. Feeling the rope tighten painfully—and with an added “Whore” from the guard—Yuralria darted her gaze around the room. The incense smoke twisted sharply as she straightened enough to spit into the man’s face. He leered at her as he swiped up the blood-specked spittle and licked it off his thumb. Gripping her face with one hand, he harshly groped her breast with the other. “Go ahead and yell for me. I like it like that,” he said as he twisted her around and shoved her down onto the bed. Sprawled awkwardly on her back with her arms trapped behind her, Yuralria glanced up as she scrambled to get her legs to propel her across the sheets.

The man rubbed the front of his pants obscenely as he smirked down at her. “Hold her shoulders,” he directed the shorter guard, Yuralria’s eyes following the guard as he walked the bed’s perimeter. Yuralria’s eyes were wide and her breaths short as she stared. The man removed a jagged-edged knife from his hip sheath. “I think you might have it wrong, girl,” he remarked. “See, first I slice you up a little, and then we get to the real fun.” Kneeling on the edge of the bed the man rotated his arm with a pop before he reached for her as the shorter guard got a hold of her shoulders. A soft thud caught Yuralria’s attention, snapping it away from the guard holding her down. Using the guard’s grip as leverage, she suddenly kicked the man’s face. His roar of displeasure was cut short with a crack as his head was firmly grasped and wrenched to the side. Before the body could start to fall, a shadow leapt over to Yuralria’s side and grabbed the guard’s shoulder before positioning itself behind him as well. Another snap came with the smooth jerk of a forearm.

Craning her head backwards, Yuralria attempted to get a good look at the shadow. She got a glimpse of obsidian and muted emerald before hands were gently helping her sit upright. “Who are you?” She asked as she felt the ropes loosen and fall away. Sensing him moving away, Yuralria reached out. Her fingertips grazed his hand as he stood to walk back around the bed. “Oh,” she said softly, then she blinked rapidly as she saw him fully.

“I am an assassin,” was the low reply.

“Um,” she said intelligibly, watching him silently pace to the first guard that had fallen and crouch briefly. The light gleamed softly on the assassin where leather did not cover. She moved to stand. “Thank you,” she murmured after swallowing with difficulty. As she wobbled her way to the edge of the bed, he approached her again. As he reached towards her she asked, “Do you have to kill me now that I saw you?”

Grasping her elbow firmly, the assassin chuckled and it sounded like boulders were rolling in his voice. “No,” he stated simply, stepping away from her. “There is no reason to do so.”

“Oh good,” Yuralria said as she stared. His eyes almost seemed entirely black, but there was something glimmering… The assassin gazed back calmly. She suddenly lunged forward and grabbed his hands again. “Hang on a second,” she implored, slightly distracted by his fused middle fingers. “I’d like to thank you. I know you didn’t do it for me, but you did save my life. Can I…Um. Would you sit—over there, with me—real quick?” She gestured away from the bodies while retaining a hold of the assassin’s hands.

“I cannot stay long,” he protested gently. “I only wished to see that you were well and now that I have—” he broke off saying as they reached a wall near an open window where the pillows were set. She pulled him down to sit with her.

“Just—Give me a minute, okay? I’ll try to be quick.” She readjusted her grip and closed her eyes while breathing deeply. Her scrunched brow smoothed and the assassin sat dangerously still as warmth begin to trickle from her palms. The warmth intensified and Yuralria flicked her eyes open to stare into his. She quickly slid her palms up his arms and knelt closer to him. She paused at the red ribbing on his throat and nearly caressed his cheek ridges before she cupped his face. The assassin sucked in a breath and grabbed her forearms. Just as the heat was nearly unbearable, Yuralria gasped and shuddered as he set her back on her heels. “I—,” she tried to speak, breathing heavily. “I think I did it.” Brushing hair off her forehead she looked at the assassin. She gave him a brilliant smile.

The assassin stood abruptly. “I must go.”

“Okay, just, first, will you take a deep breath?” At his arched look she sheepishly added, “Please?”

Huffing a breath, he acquiesced. She saw his chest rise and fall and looked at him expectantly. He shot her a look and put a hand to his chest as he breathed deeply again. “There is no hitch,” he stated.


	2. Chapter 2: 2173

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's short ~(-_-~)

Deflating with relief, Yuralria tilted her head as she looked up at the assassin. “That’s good,” she said. “I’ve never tried to fix that before; haven’t even ever felt it. Not that that’s saying much. I’ve never met someone like you.”

  
The assassin took another deep breath, brow furrowing as he concentrated inward. Yuralria watched him closely, eyes widening when his hand lowered and he focused his gaze on hers. “What did you do?” he asked quietly, fiercely.

Leaning back as he loomed over her she stammered, “Just…helped. I didn’t do anything that would hurt you, I promise. I’m sorry, you just, you felt like you were hurting and I could feel that maybe I might be able to fix it a little and I just—“

A quickly raised hand silenced her babbling. The assassin tilted his head towards the window. “An alarm has been raised,” he said. “I must go soon. Tell me, is it that I cannot feel the pain or that there is none?”

“It’s, there’s no pain. I fixed it, but I don’t know if it’ll come back or be fixed forever, I’m sorry.”

He gave a rumbling hum as he studied her. A few seconds passed until, “You have my thanks. Even a brief reprieve is welcome,” the assassin said as he backed towards the window with a small bow.

Yuralria paused as she wobbled, attempting to rise from her kneeling position. Smiling again she replied as she sank back onto the floor, “You’re welcome. Maybe you could do me a favor?” The assassin paused with a hand on the sill, still facing her. “Do something awesome now that you’re feeling better. Maybe something that’ll make you happy? You know, just, live well. You kinda seem like things are weighing you down.”

“Live well,” he repeated flatly as the corner of his mouth twitched up.

“Exactly.”

Shaking his head, the assassin turned to climb over the window sill. “I shall do my best,” he murmured as he disappeared from view.

“’Kay, bye,” Yuralria said to the empty window. She looked around the room. Tugging her hair weakly with a shaking hand, she blew out a tremulous breath. “Okay. Gotta…do something.” A pounding sounded from the door to the room. “The door, I can get the door,” she continued saying as she tried standing again. It sounded as if her heart pounded louder than the door as she stood bent at the waist, body too weak to do much more than sway with the breeze coming through the window and try to breathe. She could hear raised voices faintly now. Straightening slowly, Yuralria moved to the wall, using it as support on her shuffling journey to the door. She got to the lock fairly quickly, the beep sounding loud in the abrupt absence of the barrage on the door.

The door hissed open quickly and Yuralria was facing the firing end of a rifle. She grunted as she was shoved and pinned against the wall by the door as others, proper guards, filed into the room. One guard in a differently colored uniform paused as he entered. After scanning the room quickly, his focus turned to the girl. “Ria,” he said simply. “What happened?”

Turning her head in his direction she said, “Captain Tevir, I can explain.”

The captain hummed noncommittally, continuing to study her. “That Paele girl made a lot of noise about you being nabbed. Ended up yelling loud enough I had to come see. I’d say you’re lucky she was so persistent but it looks like you didn’t need the help.”

“No. Well, I mean, maybe I might have, but. Um. I’d really like to talk without my face being smashed against this wall. Could we…?”

Sighing, Tevir told the man still pinning Ria “Go ahead and put her in one of the holding cells for now. Tell Keslon he’s on guard duty. Only Keslon, go it?” The guard nodded and pulled Ria away from the wall, walking her out of the room. “Shit,” Tevir said quietly, looking at the bodies on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3: 2173

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a lot of talking. And no Thane. Don't hate me!

Ria sat on the uncomfortable cot and waited. The room was designed to put a person ill at ease, but she appeared unaffected. She leaned back against the wall and stared blankly at the ceiling. After some time, the door opened and she shifted her gaze to it. “I’m glad you’re finally here Captain Tevir,” Ria said as she wrinkled her nose. “It smells of stale sweat and fear in here.”

The captain flicked his mandibles when she spoke. Ria tilted her head farther back as he entered the room and stood by the closed door. Tevir lifted a single brow plate as he asked, “Ria, what happened in there? I know you couldn’t have done that.” She opened her mouth to speak and he raised a talon, “In as few words as possible.”

Ria paused. “Assassin,” she finally said.

“…Assassin.”

“I recognize that rumble. That’s your disappointed rumble,” Ria said with a narrowed gaze.

“That’s what you’re going with?” Tevir rumbled. “Do you have any proof?”

“Wait, I need proof? Who’s saying I could have killed them? Also, only a pretty bad assassin would leave proof. I really don’t think this one was a bad assassin.”

“A few guards seem to think you could have done it—don’t think we won’t talk about why they might think that, by the way—as well as some malcontents stirring up trouble. Those seem to be people who believe you think you’re better than them. Or so I gathered.”

“But you know I didn’t kill anyone. And it isn’t my fault people are so sensitive,” Ria said with a sniff. She crossed her arms and continued, “I was attacked, Cap. They had me tied up and shoved me around. They were towering over me. A lot like you are now. But their teeth looked less sharp.”

Tevir hummed. “How did they get you anyway? And why would Paele, of all people, be the one to know something was wrong?”

“They were going after her. She overheard some stuff from them and then I overheard some stuff from her and I knew she wouldn’t be able to handle it if anything happened. Not like I can,” Ria said, lowering her arms and staring at her hands.

“But you apparently didn’t handle anything. The assassin did.”

“Yep.”

Tevir sighed. “Tell me everything that happened then,” he said, leaning against the wall across from her.

“Alright.” Ria took a deep breath and met Tevir’s stare. “I talked to Paele yesterday after I heard her mumbling to herself. I could tell she was…distressed. And I don’t mean just what I can see. I mean, anyone could tell she was way more lavender than normal and her scalp was more unkempt than usual. So she eventually told me everything she had overheard, since you know how stubborn and annoying I can be. She really didn’t know much actually but it was definitely enough to cast suspicion on the mucus-eater. I mean, uh, the…guy. Um. So she was finally doing her chores and cleaning the upper shutters in the library,” Ria said, waving a hand in a dismissive motion. “She overheard these guards talking about having a fun night, which, pretty usual. Except then they went into details and apparently there was stuff about how much of a hassle it was cleaning up afterwards, and a discussion about how the boss always seems to have such a sunny disposition the night after a girl leaves here. And then there was snickering.

“Paele said she wasn’t actually caught but someone called her name from the hallway and she suspected they suspected she overheard,” Ria continued, shifting forward and clasping her hands together tightly as she continued making eye contact. “She started asking around about the girls who have ‘left’ lately and said she saw a pattern; she knew the next disappearance was coming up and figured it would be her. When we finally got to this point I told Paele to stay in my room for the night, that I would be elsewhere, and that no one would think to look for her in my room since nobody ever goes in there but me. So I went to her room while she was in mine, figured I’d get a good look at the grease bag and see if there was any reason to pin bad stuff on him.” Ria paused, looking away as she pushed a hand through her hair and continued quietly. “He was absolutely everything she was afraid of, I can tell you that for sure. Those guards of his weren’t any better. They would’ve killed him even but they were smart enough to realize they weren’t smart enough to keep the good things going if they did.”

“But you had to have had a plan on defending yourself if you thought you’d be taken to him,” Tevir said, moving a little closer and ducking his head to catch Ria’s gaze again.

“Yes. But I didn’t get a chance to do it,” she said hurriedly. “Besides, you know my style is much less death and more mental anguish and insanity for the bad guys.”

“That’s…true. I never want to know what you show them. I think that one human is still locked up in a padded room somewhere.”

“Well I mean, it was more energy than an image.” At his look she continued patiently, “I just…twisted his energy to reflect what he did to others onto him. It wasn’t hard to do. Violent energy always seems to hang around the longest,” she shrugged.

“Well,” Tevir said, choosing not to focus on that last statement, “You should be okay. Everyone knows you avoid entanglements so a torrid affair gone wrong should be easily dismissed. They’re wary of you but at least they only know you can handle yourself in a fight, and have a sharp tongue, not the other stuff. I don’t think anyone really believes you killed all three of those men with your hands tied. And given the burns on your wrists I think we can say you were tied damn tight. I’ll have someone come bring you a little medi-gel for them. The man was apparently pretty important politically, so the press will probably arrive soon enough. Be prepared to be interrogated again once word gets out.”

“Thanks, Cap,” Ria said, slumping forward. He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder and left the room.

Some time after Tevir left, there was a knock at the door. A blue head popped around the door. “Hello,” the asari said with a smile as she entered the room. “I’m sorry if I woke you. I’ve got some medi-gel for you. Once we’ve got you all fixed up I’ll escort you to a different room so nobody bothers you for a while.”

“That sounds great,” Ria said as she straightened up and smiled back blearily. Her head bobbed back and forth slightly as the asari gently spread the gel on her wrists.

“All done.”

“’M tired,” Ria slurred.

The asari lifted Ria off the cot. “Let’s get you out of here,” she said, supporting most of Ria’s weight. Ria hummed in agreement and focused on staying upright and moving. After a few turns, Ria thought she glimpsed a shuttle approaching the building through a window as they walked. She soon found staying conscious too difficult. As she slumped, the glow of biotics lit up the hallway, reflecting off the few windows and the sign pointing to the shuttle docking bay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm thinking one more chapter of just Ria and then we are back to Thane! But I haven't actually finished the next chapter so forgive me if that turns out to be a lie.


	4. 2173; 2185

Ria gave a short groan as she struggled back to conciousness. "Finally!" she heard a voice chirp nearby. "I thought you'd never wake up." Ria pried open one eye and peered in the direction of the voice. The room was dimly lit and quite small. She was on her side against the wall opposite where the owner of the cheerful disregard sat. The figure was slight, with dark hair and slanted eyes. Another human female. "Well come on," the voice continued, still annoyingly upbeat. "We need to get out of here. I can't do all the work. Scooch on over."

Ria's feet were bound and her hands were tied behind her back. The other girl was in a similar state, but where her feet were attached to a hook in the floor, Ria's were free. "Where?" she croaked, the throbbing in her head escalating as she moved upright and over. 

"Pretty sure a slaver ship. My baba isn't rich enough to extort for ransom. And I didn't wake up dead so being used as an exotic dish isn't likely. Although that may end up being what we are used for if we don't escape. There's no accounting for an alien palate." Ria reached the girl's side and sat propped up next to her. "Go ahead and turn around so I can free your hands." As Ria turned the girl continued, "This might take a little bit since I can't really see much over my own shoulder."

"What's your name?" Ria asked. 

"You first," the girl responded in a singsong voice.

"Ria."

"Well that was easy," Ria heard as she felt the restraints loosen. "My name is Kimi. Now you do me and we can get out of here."

As Ria fumbled around trying to do as Kimi had demanded she said, "There must be guards, though. And I would be surprised if the door isn't locked."

"Then it's a good thing I'm practically a master thief," Kimi said as her own restraints fell away, turning to work on her feet as Ria did the same. "If I can't get the door open, which is unlikely, we'll just find a vent to go through. You're small enough to fit."

Ria wobbled as they stood, Kimi reaching out a steadying hand. "Okay," she said, meeting Kimi's gaze with a determined look of her own. "Let's get going."

"That's what I like to hear!" Kimi exclaimed with an almost alarmingly large grin.

\-----------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A decade and more years later, in a galaxy far, far away.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\------------------------

"Commander, you've received a new message at your private terminal."

"Thanks, Kelly."

 

_"Shepard. I've got something you should look in to. We'd heard some odd things from an alien research facility we've been keeping tabs on. Our informant that was supposed to check in hasn't been heard or seen. You might want to find out what happened to her and recover either her or the information she had. She said it was big; might have something to do with what you've been pursuing. Good luck._

_\--Anderson"_

"Joker, plot a course for the Utopia system."

"You got it, Commander. Should I engage stealth systems?"

"No, we'll try the friendly approach first."

Joker gave a small laugh before realizing Shepard was serious. "Wait, really? Well that's new and exciting. I give it a one-in-slim chance it stays 'friendly.'"

"Joker..."

"Right, yeah, no, no, I'm sure it'll be fine." A brief pause. "Course is plotted, we'll arrive in a few hours."

There was silence for a few beats before Shepard sighed then said, "EDI, let Thane and Samara know they'll be on ground team for this one."

"Understood, Commander."

Shepard turned to the elevator, running a rough hand over shorn hair and muttering about the value of trying new things and being a more laid-back person. Kelly snickered quietly to her console as the elevator doors closed and removed the Commander from sight.

\-------------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours later

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

\--------------------

"Ah, Christ," Shepard groaned as the building's alarms began to sound.

"I believe this is where Mr. Moreau might begin gloating," Samara remarked.

Shepard sighed. “Well come on then. Let’s go shoot a bunch of aliens.”

“Some of them may not be aliens to me, Shepard,” Samara reminded the commander.

“…Was that a joke, Justicar Samara?” Shepard asked, glancing at the drell that was the third member of the ground party.

“Regardless of whether or not it was, it’s all alien to me,” Thane replied as he continued walking. The asari also moved forward, keeping pace with the other non-human.

“Okay, that was definitely a joke,” Shepard called, hurrying to catch up to the two.


	5. 2185

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, brief action!

Ria tried jolting as the alarms began to blare. "Sounds like someone's at the door," she slurred, her head lolling. "You should get it. Could be that package you've been waiting for. I'll just...stay here. Wait for you to get back."

"Shut up," was the growled reply.

"Swift assurance of intact facility security would be best," commented the salarian peering at a screen near Ria's side. "Lack of radio contact is concerning."

The turian guard turned to the door sharply, his displeasure shown in the jerkiness of his movements. He was out of the room in short order, the door opening and closing in a rush of air.

Ria stayed stiff, unable to relax the tight grip she had on her control as she listened to the salarian breathe. She slanted her eyes towards him and winced as her head throbbed more harshly. “Soooo. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to uncuff one of my hands, would you? I’ve had this itch on my nose forev—” The sound of gunfire sounded loudly. The salarian, who had been ignoring her completely, jerked his head up and moved to engage the lock on the door. Before he had the chance to retreat entirely to the table where several innocuous-looking liquids sat in varying containers the door beeped twice as the lock was overridden. Ria did not flinch as a shot sounded. The salarian fell, bleeding profusely, outstretched hand glancing off the side of a beaker filled with a murky blue fluid. “Hey, good job there,” she commented weakly. “Pretty sure that was acid. Or something. It burns anything organic, I can tell you that much.”

The human had stepped towards the bed Ria was strapped to as she spoke. The room was small so it took the drell no time to move around to the other side and check for others. “I’m Shepard,” the human said while releasing the bands holding Ria down. “You are?”

“Ria,” she answered. “You’re Alliance?” she asked, recognizing the symbol on Shepard’s armor.

“Kind of.”

“Shepard.” Ria jumped when the asari spoke from her position at the door. “The human seems of sound enough mind. I would suggest we continue moving before reinforcements arrive. You are the informant?” she questioned, addressing Ria.

“That…depends.” Ria hesitated. “I don’t remember the Alliance having evolved to include asari. Or drell,” she said, glancing at a particularly dark corner of the room. “I’ve been mistreated enough already; I’d hate to compound that mistake by giving the impression I’d share any information whatsoever to someone I don’t like.”

“Well we’re getting you out of here, so that should work in our favor,” Shepard suggested cheerfully as he assisted Ria in sitting up.

Ria sighed as she slowly slid off the bed. “True. Give me a moment to look at what they did to me and I’ll be good to go.” She moved towards the screen the now-dead salarian had been looking at earlier. “Shouldn’t take long. He still has the file pulled up.” True to her word, after only a few minutes of scrolling up and scanning, she found the information she needed. She nodded and moved to the table holding the beakers, stepping next to the salarian as she looked for a particular gelatinous substance. “I love how organized salarians are, don’t you?” she asked no one in particular as she scooped a small amount of gel on one finger and spread some on her temples, wrist, and just below her left collarbone. Wiping the rest near the base of her skull she turned, saying, “Okay, let’s get out of here.” Contrary to her encouraging words, she stopped moving when she met the eyes of the drell as he left the shadows. “Oh,” she murmured.

The drell inclined his head, blinking slowly. “Well met,” he said softly, his voice a rough hum.

“Yeah,” Ria blinked back.

Shepard turned back to look at her. “Ready?”

“Uh,” she replied. She glanced down. “I’ve got shoes, so yay. Can I have a gun?”

“Will you shoot us with it?” the asari asked placidly.

“No!”

Shepard laughed. “Then I think there’s at least one out in the hallway. Grab one and really, please don’t shoot any of us with it.”

“We would retaliate,” the asari spoke again, making eye contact with Ria. The group moved out to the still-empty hall, Ria glancing again at the drell.

“Got it. No shooting my saviors,” Ria said firmly, scanning the ground for a firearm. “What now?”

“We move to the extraction point,” Shepard responded.

Ria slowed as she straightened from picking up a pistol. “Have you cleared all the rooms? There’s at least three people I know that you do not want to leave in the hands of these assholes.”

“We have not—”

“They’re probably in the holding cells if you haven’t heard them yet.” She pointed. “That way.”

“We must move quickly, whatever we decide,” the drell spoke.

“Alright,” Shepard sighed. “I hope you know how to duck. Don’t shoot anything if you don’t have to. Don’t move until one of us tells you. Got it?” Ria nodded. As they began moving at a fast pace Ria heard Shepard speaking again. “Normandy, do you read? We’ve got info on another three potential rescues. Looking into it now. Maintain until further contact. Shepard out.” They moved through the halls quickly, the asari and Shepard moving around corners first and the drell behind with Ria as she tried to huff quietly. In short time they had almost reached the holding cells. Shepard help up a fist, halting the party. Signaling the asari to a position farther down the hall filled with convenient boxes and the drell to peek around the corner opposite from her, Shepard breathed to Ria, “Keep an eye on our six and stay down.”

After moving behind a stack of boxes diagonal the asari, Shepard nodded and the asari glowed brightly as she flung one guard into two others. The ensuing firefight was brief. The guards were poorly armored and of low caliber. From around his corner, the drell focused on the most heavily guarded individual, shooting and reloading at an expedient rate. The asari utilized her biotics and kept the focus off Shepard who was using an assault rifle with devastating efficiency. The single engineer was shot before a turret could be set up and the resulting explosion cleared the last of the resistance. Ria sat with wide eyes, more often than not looking the direction they had come from, making sure nobody new arrived. A beat of silence. “All clear, Shepard,” the drell called out. Ria turned and looked at him briefly, quickly moving towards where Shepard stood bypassing a locked door.

Two beeps sounded but when Shepard moved to go through the open door Ria hissed “Wait.” Glancing at the hand on Shepard’s arm, Ria’s eyes widened as she removed it then continued. “Let me go in and see who it is first? It might help them stay calm. They won’t be restrained like I was.” Shepard nodded slowly, staying near the door as the other two took up positions facing opposite directions of the hall. “Just…try to stay calm, okay?” Shepard looked at her funny, realizing she had not been addressing whomever was in the room.

“Okay.”

Ria let out a deep breath and stepped forward.


	6. 2185

The hairs on Ria’s arms raised as she took a slow step into the room. Voice soft, she cast her eyes around the room, saying, “It’s me. It’s time. Are you stable?”

“ _No_ ,” came the hissed reply. Ria squinted, blood pounding more heavily in her temple. She took a steady inhale, her blurring vision fixed on the wall opposite her.

“Okay, that’s okay. I’m gonna do a little of my thing, okay? Just remember how we practiced. I know it’s been a while but I know I haven’t forgotten so there’s no way you did.” As she spoke her hands moved slightly, her eyes flitting from one area to the next, focus unwavering as the wall shimmered. “There we go,” she said approvingly. “You’re doing great. We’re almost steady. Come on over. We have to move fast, see if the others are okay.” The wall gave a last hard shiver before a young asari abruptly came into view, rising from a crouch and lowering her arms from around her head. “Mavin,” Ria greeted, lips turning up slightly.

The asari breathed out shakily as she gave Ria a quick hug. “How?”

“We’ve got a few rescuers,” Ria said. “Three. Shepard is the human, and there's a drell and an asari. They’re helping us but they don’t know what they’ve gotten in to. Help me keep them safe, yeah?” The asari gave a short nod before they turned back to the door. As they exited, two guns were turned on the newest arrival. “This is Mavin T’Lovak. She won’t attack you now. Is the next  door unlocked?”

Shepard nodded, the guns were lowered, and Mavin made a sharp noise. Looking at Ria she said, “It’s just Antesh left. We were the last two. The others, they—if you didn’t find them…”

Ria nodded as Mavin dropped her gaze to the floor. She pressed a hand to Mavin’s arm as she moved to the next door, unlocked and waiting. “Thank you, Mavin. If anything happens, make sure to stay out of their way and do what they ask you. They’ll take care of you.” Pausing at the door, Ria took a deep breath, shaking her hands out firmly a few times as she exhaled, then entered. The occupant of this room was instantly visible. A small human boy sat on the bare cot, arms wrapped around his legs as he rocked back and forth, his dark skin distinct in a blanched room. He did not acknowledge Ria’s presence outwardly. The lights in the room dimmed and flickered. Ria began to hum as she moved toward the boy; just one note, held steady as she sank onto the ground next to the cot. She reached out to touch the boy’s hands, the note she hummed remaining unstrained, but the muscles in her back and shoulders tightening abruptly. Her eyes closed as her brow furrowed.

Ria rested one hand on the boy's clenched fists and the other on the space his neck and shoulder met. The lights stopped flickering but dimmed even more, the color leeching from their clothes and leaving only grainy shades of gray and black. Ria's space-pale skin no longer seemed luminescent against the boy's, the sharp contrast blurring and blending. The note cut off as the boy shuddered. Ria inhaled shakily as her hands flexed where they rested. Both her eyes and the boy's opened simultaneously as the lights flared back to full power. A few beats passed and then Ria gave the boy a lopsided grin that he returned tiredly. "Ria," he said quietly, his voice wavering.

"Chidike," she returned. They both flinched when a muffled burst of gunfire sounded. 

"Ria?" Chidike asked, eyes wide.

Helping the boy off the cot, Ria said, "We'll stay in here until the fight stops. We'll be okay. And hey, Mavin is out there with some people that are helping us, so there's nothing to worry about." Ria positioned them next to the door, their backs to the wall and herself between Chidike and the doorway. The boy kept hold of Ria's hand. The more shots that were heard the more accelerated his breathing became. Soon Ria turned to him and bent as she placed her free hand on his neck. "It's okay, hey. It's okay. Think... Chopin's 'Tristesse' on 'cello." Chidike closed his eyes, a look of concentration creasing his face. He calmed soon after, creases fading and shoulders lowering from where they had risen. He kept his grip on Ria but otherwise remained still, only opening his eyes long after she had dropped the hand from his neck and turned back towards the door. As it swooshed open Ria pushed off the wall and kept Chidike behind her. She relaxed only once she saw it was Shepard entering the room. She followed him as he left the room again, towing Chidike behind her while saying, "Chidike, this is Shepard. He's in charge, so we listen to him, okay?" Chidike nodded. In the hallway, Chidike finally released Ria in order to embrace Mavin. "Is everything okay?" Ria asked Shepard. "We heard the gunfire."

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Shepard said. He gestured and they all began moving forward again. As they turned another corner Shepard said in an aside, "Normandy, we are headed to the extraction point." He returned to addressing Ria, "Mavin here did a neat disappearing trick, though. Not sure how, since she doesn't have the tech for a cloaking device on her. Samara, can you do that?"

"I don't need a cloaking device," Mavin said, sounding nearly offended. 

Samara's attention was suddenly fixed on Mavin. "You are able to cloak without technology?" she asked.

Mavin flinched. "Well, yes, but not always. And not very well sometimes. It's hard to do very much of it at once."

"I see," Samara said ponderously. "And this one?" She turned to Chidike. "What should we expect from him?"

The party stopped moving. Ria stepped forward, placing herself slightly in front of the pair and giving a small smile. "Chidike hasn't quite settled yet. He can do quite a few things, but none with any regularity."

Samara raised her brow. "Two unstable, unknown gifted?

"Oh, okay, so you can't do that," Shepard muttered.

"Shepard, are you certain it is wise to bring them aboard the Normandy?" Samara continued, undeterred.

Shepard inhaled to speak--"You can't leave us here!" Mavin exclaimed. Chidike hunched into himself again, the area surrounding him seeming somehow heavier than before. 

"You would be a danger to the entire crew. We do not know who you are, we knew only of the informant's presence here."

"So you'd leave us to something worse than death?"

"Mavin," Ria interjected.

The drell spoke from the back of the group. "It would be best if we kept moving. We have come this far and helped them, and the woman seems to have some control. We can decide the best course once aboard the Normandy."

"Agreed," Shepard said. "I appreciate your caution Samara but I get the feeling Ria won't go without these two, and apparently Ria's got something worth having. Now come on, we're almost there." Ria smiled at Mavin and Chidike, moving behind them and gently pushing them forward. Samara dropped back with the drell as the group continued. They reached an airlock without any further altercations and boarded the shuttle waiting for them. As they set down in the Normandy's hangar Shepard commented, "Huh. No final confrontation. What a novel experience." He turned to smile at the group as they exited the shuttle and found only Ria giving a wry smile in return.

"Well I'm not complaining," a voice came from a hidden speaker somewhere. "And I'm very impressed we both managed not to say anything and jinx it. Also, the Illusive Man is wanting to speak with you, Commander."

Shepard sighed. "Thanks, Joker. Have Kelly come get our guests settled." 

"Aye, aye."

"Welcome aboard the Normandy SR-2," Shepard said. "We're pretty fond of her, so please do try not to damage her during your stay. We'll get everything figured out soon." Ria nodded and smiled again while the other two continued staring. "Well I guess... I should go." And so the trio was left standing just outside the shuttle, watching and waiting.


	7. 2185

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, I know, I'm sorry. But! I now have the outline for the next several chapters done and all they require is fleshing out which will not take me nearly as long. And I have my stuff figured out for between two jobs and I'm practically moved in to my new place so things are looking up! Or at least, you know, more expeditious.

Chidike hummed softly from his position pressed against Ria, eyes focused on “Dr. Chakwas please, now sit down, you look exhausted.” The doctor moved with economy, wasting no energy as she scanned the Normandy’s unexpected guests. “Some unusual brain activity but nothing to be worried about, I should think.” Chidike eeled off the bed he had been sitting on with Ria to join Mavin on hers. Chakwas peered closer at the screen projected from her omnitool. “Now I see that you apparently made yourself disappear while you were escaping. And that you claim to need no technology to do so. Should I look for anything that would indicate you overexerted yourself or will cause you pain in the future? For either of you?”

The kids looked at Ria. “They wouldn’t know specifically what to look for, but I do,” Ria stood only to lean against the cot next to where the kids were sitting. Directing her gaze back to Chakwas she continued, “It would take a program designed specifically for me in order for your omnitool to pick them up, but I can tell you now that all their levels—baseline hormones, brainwaves at rest and during our adventure, the works—are at normal levels at the moment and that the stress of the escape did not affect them so much as to have lasting consequences.”

“I see.” Chakwas wandered over to her desk and picked up a pad glowing with script. She scrolled through the words as she moved to lean against the cot across the aisle from the group. There was silence for a few beats as Chakwas lifted her focus from the screen. “And yourself?”

“Pardon?” Ria startled slightly, her gaze connecting with Chakwas’ as she looked up.

“I imagine it was a large draw for you as well, calming down these two. Put being strapped to a table with questionable substances very close to your person together with that and I’d say it was a stressful day for you.”

Ria hesitated, inhaling slowly as her gaze flickered. “Well,” she began, “they did introduce something into my system. There was, fortunately, the counteragent available as well, but the initial agent was hanging around and being generally unpleasant for an uncertain amount of time before I was able to neutralize it.” Ria lifted her own omnitool, pressing her palm outward in a gesture towards Chakwas. “Here. If you could keep an eye out for a spike in either this chemical or a sudden system shutdown, that would help. I would be less than helpful should these things occur.”

Chakwas raised her eyebrows when she read the data Ria had sent to her omnitool. “This is…a form of triethanolamine? But these notes say it targets the nervous system rather than the immune system. Interesting. One of the most unstable chemical compounds I’ve ever seen, but it could do a lot of damage when it falls apart.” Chakwas looked up again. “I’ll have the ship’s AI help me keep an eye out. EDI?”

“Noted, Dr. Chakwas,” Chidike jumped and Mavin froze as the robotic female voice sounded, still unused to the calm interjections. “If I may, the starboard cargo room has been opened and cots have been installed for Dr. Atka and her wards. However, the commander has asked to speak with Dr. Atka in the comm room at her earliest convenience.”

“I see,” Chakwas straightened and gestured to the group as she moved towards the door. “Well, let me introduce you all to Mess Sergeant Gardner. He’s recently acquired better ingredients and has been eager to show off his culinary skills.” She glanced at Ria as they approached Gardner. “The kids can get some food while you talk with the commander. I’m sure they’ll contact you if they need anything, Shepard won’t mind.”

Ria glanced at the kids. “We’ll be fine,” Mavin said quietly, Chidike nodding decisively next to her.

“All right,” Ria said. “I’ll see you in a bit then. The elevator is…this way, yes? Okay. You two, stay out of trouble.” When Ria poked at them, Chidike gave a brief brilliant smile as Mavin waved her on. Ria smiled herself, Chakwas chuckling lowly as Ria rounded the corner toward the elevator. As she entered the elevator Ria heard the swish of another door opening down the hall. She tensed as another person came in to the small space. The doors closed. Blinking, she tentatively accepted the bottle of water held out to her. “So.” There was silence. Ria fiddled with the bottle’s cap. “You, uh, we’ve met before, right? Kind of. Do you remember? But I didn’t get your name, which, not a surprise.” Ria took a sip of the water, stopping the stream of words.

“It is Thane,” was the reply, made in a barely remembered velvet over marble voice. “And you are Ria. Although I did not discover this during our first encounter. I am pleased to see you are well.” Thane inclined his head towards Ria, his posture loosening briefly before returning to straight-backed, hand-clasped rigidity.

Ria gave a big smile as she turned to face Thane. “I knew it! How are you doing? Good? You look good. Or, well, mostly good,” she said, smile fading as she squinted at him. “You could be better. Oh, hey, did you recognize me right off the bat and that’s why you were fine with me coming on the ship? Thanks for stepping in, that lady seemed like she could be really stubborn. So does this elevator always go slow or is the AI just really mischievous?”

Thane raised a brow. “It is unusually slow on a regular basis. I would not be surprised if EDI amused herself in this manner, though.” He paused briefly. “There is no need to be nervous.”

“Nervous? I’m not nervous, why would I be nervous?” Ria questioned nervously. “I’m just stuck in a small space for an unknown amount of time with a very attractive, very deadly assassin looking at me and giving me things. Why did you give me a thing, by the way?”

“It is important to stay hydrated,” Thane stated. 

“Uh-huh.”

“I may also have wished to further assess your character.”

“Ah. And? Have any insight?”

Thane hummed, his multitoned voice sounding it like strings thrumming a chord. “Your temperament seems much the same, but your eyes are heavier. i wonder how much you hide by projecting. I suspect there is much you keep to yourself. I suppose it is a question of whether you fear what you have done, or what you might do." 

Ria turned to face Thane as he spoke. "All that from me babbling?" she asked, not breaking eye contact. "I suppose people-reading would be a skill necessary for an assassin." She raised a brow in challenge but Thane said nothing. Tilting her head, she sighed then continued, "So how is the breathing?"

"It has regressed." Pine green irises and darkened scelera flicked as his gaze moved over her face. "Perhaps you would like to check yourself?" Thane asked. And then he--slightly--thrust his chest in Ria's direction. 

Her gaze dropped and stayed on the open-chested garment. "Uhhhhhhh..." The doors swooshed open. Ria snapped her gaze up and then away as she edged towards the exit. Turning to walk backwards, she shaped her hands into guns and cocked them at him. "I gotta talk to Sheperd, next time though. But only after I take a nap." She turned back around, waving over her shoulder.

A rolling chuckle sounded from the elevator as the doors slid closed, dark eyes never moving from her retreating back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no beta, so any nice pointers on grammatical or spelling errors are welcome!


	8. 2185

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you thought I died. Well I didn't! My muse did, for a while there. She's back in action, though, so you'll have another chapter within the week.

Ria flinched as projectiles slammed into the metal crate she was crouched behind.

“You know,” Shepard commented calmly from her side. “If you had some proper armor on this never would have happened.”

“Well, ex _cu_ se me for not being a giant like everyone else on your team,” Ria retorted, her sarcasm slightly less biting thanks to the panting. “Also, armor is heavy. I wouldn’t last an hour before collapsing from the strain. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to make that sprinting leap over a—” she broke off with a grunt as Mordin tightened a bandage around her waist. “A gaping chasm.”

“Well at least it would’ve been able to dispense medi-gel for you, instead of making Mordin do it for you,” Shepard said, peering around their cover. “And it was hardly a chasm. The floor was still visible.”

Ria glared as Shepard stood and fired off a few rounds from his rifle. “I blame you for this, Shepard. Things were going just fine and then you somehow were able to work the boss into a frothing rage with less than five words. Five words, Shepard.”

Shepard shrugged as he and Mordin switched places. “Yeah, it’s a talent.” Ria raised an eyebrow as he glanced her way. “What? Sometimes I use it for good. And how was I supposed to know he not only had a fake leg but that his brother had stolen it?”

“Maybe because I mentioned he had a cyber leg he likes to store things like credits and guns and other explosive things in? And it is never a good idea to mention family in tense situations. It almost always ends badly.”

Mordin shouted from a short distance away, “Flammable! Or inflammable. Forget which. Doesn’t matter.” Ria and Shepard peered over the crate as the last of the troops fell screaming in flames. Mordin walked back towards the two. “All clear, Shepard.” He checked Ria’s bandages. “No blood seepage. Good. Seems entirety of wound was covered. No worries. Bandage only necessary to protect new skin cells.”

“Yes, Mordin, thank you,” Ria said as she clambered to her feet. “Now what do we do? Let’s recap, shall we?”

\--~~--~~

_The door to the conference room swished open as Shepard turned to face it. Ria entered. "So," Shepard began. "Ria is definitely not even close to the name Anderson had on the file. There is very little on this file of yours at all, actually. Cerberus doesn't even have much on you—I would know, they just asked me about you. Turns out they do know quite a bit about the facility we just visited, though. Very shiny on the surface. Cerberus, of course, claims no knowledge of the illegal appropriation and subsequent confinement of any and all aliens and humans that were present against their will there. So tell me, ‘doctor’, what in the goddess' loving embrace was going on down there?”_

_"Illegal experimentations with a focus on the enhancement of psychic manipulations."_

_"Uhh."_

 --~~--~~

“I didn’t mean that far back,” Ria protests.  

“Aw, but I was almost to the point where I explain why we’re here.” Ria sighed. “Okay, I’ll keep going then,” Shepard said cheerfully.

“No, wait—”

_\--~~--~~_

_"Illegal experimentations with a focus on the enhancement of psychic manipulations."_

_"Uhh. Okay, maybe a slightly less succinct explanation, if you would. Maybe start with why you were strapped to a table.”_

_"I was caught helping plan the escapes of select…interns from the facility, and then experimented on myself by my former colleagues as retribution.”_

 --~~--~~

Ria groaned. “Okay, so now everybody here knows I’m a rebel sympathizer. And I also am now aware that you have an excellent memory but are terrible at doing voices. Can we please figure out which way to the cargo bay?”

Shepard chuckled as they walked towards one of the doorways. “Another reason to get some armor. The helmet has a map you can look at. Don’t worry,” he called over his shoulder as he took point. “You just need some exercise to get you fit enough for it.”

“You only have a visor,” Ria shot back, trotting to keep pace. “You won’t see me wearing a helmet until you are, too.”

“I have an excellent memory; I don’t need a map.”

“Hmm.” Mordin interjected from her side, eyeing her briefly. “Young for human. Impressive to have gotten doctorates and caught the attention of nefarious science organizations.”

“You been spreading rumors, Shepard? I’m flattered. And, yes, also young.”

They entered an elevator. As they began their descent Shepard asked Ria, “But you are a real doctor, right?”

"I have several doctorates, yes. Most of them are real. A few I received twice over from separate quadrants. You know how picky some can be about what truly qualifies an individual to be considered a doctor in _their_ galaxy."

"I don't, actually. But I'll take your word for it.”

“Can be irksome,” Mordin commented mildly. “Better to ignore intergalactic rulings. Faster results." Ria smiled in response.

“So what was with the whole,” Shepard’s hands waved in the air. “Smearing something over your pulse points the second you get free? From the table on the station, I mean.”

Ria shrugged. “A chemical cocktail composed mostly of triethanolamine was swimming around in my body thanks to both an injection and a few drops on my skin. I needed to apply yet another chemical to reduce the effects before I broke out in rashes, developed a nasty cough, and then ultimately lost all functionality of my immune system."

“Fortunate there was counter-compound nearby,” Mordin said. Shepard nodded. The three then stood in unbroken silence. Ria poked at her bandage. Mordin began humming. Finally the elevator neared the end of its descent.

“We’ll be coming to the cargo bay corridors when we arrive,” Shepard informed Ria. “No idea what kind of shape your friend will be in, but they’ve held out this long. Estimates?”

Ria frowned, her eyes losing focus, fixing on some inner point. “Not more than twenty, I’d think. They are all feeling pretty aggressive, though. There’s a good chance there’s more than one krogan. I can’t pinpoint it any more than that.”

Shepard nodded. “Alright, let’s see if your guesses are any good,” he said while unshouldering his rifle.


End file.
